Harvard Buildings Evacuated Due to Explosives Report

Four Harvard buildings evacuated due to explosives report earlier this morning in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Campus police received an unconfirmed report Monday morning that explosives may have been placed inside the buildings on Harvard University’s campus, disrupting final examinations.

Harvard UniversityCourtesy of Wikimedia

The buildings which were evacuated include one dorm, two classroom buildings, and the science center. Many of the students who had to leave went to another campus building, according to the school’s paper, The Harvard Crimson.

“Out of an abundance of caution, the buildings have been evacuated while the report is investigated,” the school said in a statement. “Harvard’s focus is on the safety of our students, faculty, and staff.”

Despite the potentially dangerous situation on hand, the mood of the campus remained calm as students made their way out of the buildings that are at potential risk. The gates of the Harvard Yard, which contained 3 of the 4 buildings at risk, were closed and people were allowed to leave but not enter unless they had their school IDs.

Last month, another Ivy League School, Yale University was locked down for approximately six hours while authorities investigated a phone call saying that they saw an armed man heading towards the campus to shoot it up. They later learned this warning was merely a hoax.

In February, someone called in a hoax about a gunman on the campus of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. This call, however, was no hoax. The gunman was a staff member looking for revenge after the suicide of an Internet activist accused of illegally using MIT computers per ABC news.

Given the rise of school shootings, this threat appears to be taken under careful consideration.